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Harry awoke to soft sheets and the morning light trickling in through the thin curtains. Shedding himself of the remaining glimpses of a dream, his eyes were still shut as he soaked in the warmth of his covers before letting his emerald eyes see the sun's rays. Harry opened his eyes and smiled as he looked at the glowing and radiant sun peaking above the horizon out of his window. It extended its vivid light across the deep crimson sky. Its dazzling and inviting rays flowed through the window providing warmth to his body, seeping into his skin. The sun relaxed him. Eventually, he got out of bed and walked to the bathroom.

After he was freshy bathed and dressed in clean clothes, he made his way to the small kitchen of his cottage and began making breakfast for himself. It had been two months since he'd left the castle and every day he'd died just a little to go back. Something about the castle called to him and on some days, it became so difficult to ignore it. Tom's anguished screams echoed in his ears twenty- four-seven and they only served to strengthen his resolve to return and make everything alright.

Tap…Tap…Tap…

That was his favourite sound these days. Harry immediately rushed to the window and opened it. The snowy white owl swooped in and settled down on his table. Harry instantly untied the letter from its leg and hugged it close to his chest. The owl hooted indignantly, and Harry laughed softly before opening the jars of treats, he kept specifically for her and offered one to her,

"Here, Hedwig."

Hedwig took the treat with her beak and made a pleased sound. Harry smoothed a hand over her feathers and offered her another before settling down in a chair and opening it up. Bella wrote to him once very week and her letters mostly consisted of warnings for him not to come back yet and sentences in which she expressed how much she missed him and loved him. Other than that, she gave him feedback on the anecdotes he sent her and gave him advice if he ever asked for it. This letter was almost the same. He breathed in the parchment and smiled as Bella's familiar scent greeted him. It was beautiful, and he could almost feel that she was close to him. This was his most favorite part about her letters. He leaned back in his seat and allowed the illusion to consume him for a few moments.

Hedwig's hooting shattered it though and he was forced to get up and grab an envelope which he had just sealed a night before. It was stuffed with papers on which he had written about everyone and everything that he had encountered in the past one week. Harry was sure, it would keep Bella entertained. He tied it to Hedwig's leg, pressed a kiss to its beak and watched it as it flew out the window and disappeared into the flawless blue sky.

Once Hedwig was gone, Harry had his breakfast, grabbed his bag and started making his way towards the small school building that he'd bought. Bella had stuffed so much gold in that tiny rucksack and that had turned him into the richest person in town. He had spent some of it to buy the cottage he lived in and the building that he'd converted into a school for underprivileged children. He spent most of his day there and his evenings volunteering at the local orphanage. He liked children and he found comfort in helping them out. Somehow, he never felt like he was young himself. It was only when people pointed it out that he noticed but he never paid it much heed. He just liked seeing people happy, be it children or anyone else that he assisted.

He entered the school and settled down in his chair. Class was due to start in ten minutes so he pulled out the book and began rifling through it towards the topic he was supposed to discuss with the students today.

Waking up was no longer the pleasure it had once been. There was a fleeting moment when he felt whole again but it evaporated faster than summer rain off the burnt earth. Waking up was harsh, especially because his dreams were better than reality. The saddest part of it was, though, that eventually even the memory of his dreams faded and then he was left with this lonely feeling of detachment, left to explore in the empty void of emotions and the equally empty castle…

An odd sadness had settled over the castle and its walls ever since he had killed him. The walls that once rang with the sound of Harry's laughter…his cries…his screams were now incredibly silent. The rooms that had brightened up with Harry's smiles were now dark and desolate. The corridors that had once filled with the aroma of Harry's cooking now smelt musty and old. The lake seemed cold and depressing. The forest was hushed. Harry had left his mark over everything he had touched, every path he had trodden and him…especially him.

It had been two months but nothing had returned to normal. On most nights, he heard Bella mourn him in seclusion and sometimes he wished he could do the same…sometimes he wished he could cry. The sight of those emerald green eyes…so cold and lifeless…was burned into his sight. He haunted him every night…every day…every living, breathing moment…It killed him. He hadn't visited his grave yet. Maybe…Maybe visiting it would relieve some of this guilt.